With the Met Gala around the corner, WWD and New York Magazine are featuring previews of “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion” exhibition.

New York Magazine notes that those who “expect a history of models will quickly learn there is more to it than meets the eye”, adding that the Met’s Spring exhibition highlights how much fashion’s success is due to models who added “allure to some of the fashions.”

The exhibit was curated by by Harold Koda of the Costume Institute and guest curator Kohle Yohannan, and features 86 looks displayed by era.

It was further announced that multiple media forms will be on display including panels of magazine pages (Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Life), famous fashion photographs and video clips from, among others, Audrey Hepburn’s modeling stints in “Funny Face,” William Klein’s “Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo?,” and George Michael’s seminal supermodel moment for “Freedom ’92.”

WWD is also reporting that there is a “life-size, three-dimensional re-creation of Richard Avedon’s Dovima, with a mannequin in the dress by Yves Saint Laurent for Christian Dior, and life-size die-cut boards of elephants.”

As for the glitzy Met gala, designers have been instructed to custom design short dresses. So expect the legs of the likes of Madonna, Kate Moss, Kate Bosworth, Kirsten Dunst, Jessica Alba, Eva Mendes, Victoria Beckham, and Marisa Tomei to have their legs out in full force.

“The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion” is open to the public beginning on May 6th and it will run through August 9 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The address is 1000 Fifth Avenue, at 82nd Street.